South Korea: 73 repatriated from Cambodia for online fraud

Today's headlines: Takaichi dissolved the Japanese parliament for early elections;. Zelensky accuses Taiwan of supplying components for Russian missiles, Lai calls for talks to refute the claim; Modi in Kerala: if BJP wins, justice for the theft of Sabarimala gold; US Army transfers first 150 ISIS detainees in north-eastern Syria to Iraq.

SOUTH KOREA - CAMBODIA

South Korea has repatriated 73 people suspected of involvement in online fraud operations in Cambodia. It will question them about a fraud against more than 800 South Koreans for approximately £33 million. It is the largest group of fraud suspects ever repatriated to date. The repatriation follows a joint investigation conducted by both countries. Investigators discovered seven scam centres where the suspects are accused of conducting online fraud.

TAIWAN - UKRAINE

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has offered talks with Ukraine to refute sanctions violations after Zelensky pointed to the island as a source of missile components used by Russia. Since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Taiwan, a powerhouse in the semiconductor industry, has progressively updated its export controls to prevent high-tech products from being used for military purposes and has joined in the wide-ranging sanctions against Moscow.

JAPAN

The Japanese Prime Minister has dissolved parliament for early elections on 8 February. Sanae Takaichi, the country's first female prime minister, announced her intentions on Monday, seeking public support for measures to protect families from rising living costs and increase defence spending. She pledged to reduce sales tax on food for two years in order to “ease the burden” on those struggling with inflation.

INDIA

Narendra Modi is riding the wave of the case concerning the alleged embezzlement of gold from doorposts and plaques at the Sabarimala temple in his election campaign in Kerala. He has promised voters that if his Bharatiya Janata Party comes to power in the state, the theft will be investigated and the culprits will be jailed. The statements come amid controversy over the case, which has turned into a political storm.

SYRIA - IRAQ

The US military has announced the start of the transfer of the first 150 ISIS detainees held in north-eastern Syria, in Shaddadeh, to secure facilities in Iraq. This comes after Syrian government forces gained control of a large area from the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which withdrew after the ceasefire. The Kurdish-led SDF still controls more than a dozen detention facilities housing some 9,000 Daesh members.

GEORGIA

The former president of Georgia, Salome Zurabišvili, has returned to insist on new elections as the only way out of the political crisis that is paralysing the country, addressing the entire population with a video appeal on social media, as “the Georgian Dream party lacks legitimacy and is unable to deal with the crisis and guarantee a future for the country”, causing continuous protests and great discontent, while the tools of democracy must be used.

TAJIKISTAN

An international scientific expedition, considered one of the most important for the study of glaciers in the area, has concluded in the province of Murgab in Tajikistan, focusing on the Khovar Kul basin known as Kaljai Kabud, the “great fortress” formed at an altitude of 5,811 metres above sea level and on which many other glacial basins depend. According to the data collected, the glacier is managing to resist and even grow.

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